by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 24, 2012 | Reflect
Is inspiration something we wait for? Or, is it something we are constantly seeking? We gotta look. In our colleagues. In our books. In tweets. In blogs. Most of all? In our students.
Walk around the room. Listen to them. Ask them questions, and then watch them light up when they figure something out. Give kids a pile of junk, duct tape, and set a timer for 5 minutes. Ask them to create something. Watch what happens. They don’t wait. They don’t sit and think. They just start creating. Their inspiration arrives the second the junk hits the table and the timer starts.
We can all learn a lot from kids if we take time to listen. They are a daily reminder of how exciting it is to learn. A daily reminder of that reckless abandon you have when the world is full of interesting moments. Because that world that was full interesting moments when we were kids? It’s still our world. Everyday. There is inspiration all around us. It’s just up to us to open our eyes to it.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 23, 2012 | Reflect
I wonder how many times a day, a week, a month our own perspectives get in the way of really understanding a situation. I wonder how many times we internally discount what somebody else says because we think we know the way. I wonder how many things would be different if we’d just…. stop. Listen. Think. Learn something. We can look around and see TONS of things wrong with education. We can feel stuck. We can complain. We can even get mad about it. Or, we can look and see what we really have. No matter what, there is some good. When we really look, there is a lot of good. We just might have to work a little harder to see it sometimes.
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by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 18, 2012 | Reflect
I recently had a conversation with a kid that reminded me what it’s all about. Truthfully, we have those moments everyday if we look for them. I said, “Do I love Space or what?” It was a rhetorical question. But, the student said, “Mrs. V, you love space like a dog loves his bone.” Ummmmm… am I that obvious? It’s funny, this group of kids has been with me since BEFORE I loved space. Although I barely remember that time, it was pre-educator Space Camp, two years ago, and my classroom did not have even ONE NASA related item in it. I thought space was just about teaching planets. Then, I went, and space shuttles, rockets, and everything in between? They became a passion. What does it mean for my students to see that? It means it’s okay, no matter your age, no matter your career, no matter what, for you to find a new passion.
When she made the comment, I asked her, “What do YOU love?” It sparked a discussion. We all just sat around talking about what we loved to learn about. It wasn’t about standards, grades, or tests. It was us. A bunch of lifelong learners. It was about when you find that thing in life that is so interesting to you that you can’t stop learning about it… you just embrace it. Kind of like a dog with his bone.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 17, 2012 | Reflect
You’re wrong. Wrong answer. Incorrect. Check mark. Red X. F. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
How often is wrong the end of the road? Too often.
If we teach in a way that has one right and one wrong answer, then we are teaching all wrong.
Kids need practice with wrong. They need practice evaluating. Revising. Redesigning. Inventing new ways.
Never think of wrong as the “end.” Teach kids to think of wrong as a bridge to new learning. Build on wrong. Fill it in. Cross over it. Learn from it. Wrong just might be the foundation to something that works.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 17, 2012 | Reflect
What are some of the biggest mistakes we make in our classrooms everyday?
Waiting for someone to tell us to change.
Doing what’s easy instead of what’s best.
Listening to that inner voice that says “This might not work.”
Getting all caught up in the unimportant details.
Complaining without a solution.
Talking that is never followed up with action.
Missing a chance to connect with a kid.
Avoiding ‘new’ because it’s not safe from failure.
Using any pencil besides a Ticonderoga.
Sharing your Sharpies.
Saying, “I’ll wait til’ next year” when today is here now.
Thinking you’re finished learning.
